According to a recent report by the Sun, Bournemouth forward Josh King is on Manchester United’s radar, and the player is available for a reported fee of £25m during the January transfer window. The same report has also revealed that the new interim boss of the Red Devils, Ole Gunnar Solskjær will have his say on any incoming transfers made in the winter transfer market.
King had previously played under Solskjær when they were both parts of the youth set-up at Old Trafford a few years ago. The Norwegian coach was the manager of the United reserve team back when the Bournemouth forward was making his way up the youth ranks at the red half of Manchester.
However, King failed to break into the Man United first-team and had to move to Blackburn Rovers in search of more game time in the summer of 2013. The Cherries decided to take a chance on him back in 2015, and since then, he has slowly managed to establish himself as a regular starter in the Premier League.
The 26-year-old has made 18 appearances for Eddie Howe’s team this season, scoring five goals while providing three assists across all competitions. He has also earned 37 international caps for the Norwegian national side and has 12 goals to his name for his country.
King has incredible pace under his belt and has a knack for making some well-timed runs behind the opposition defence. He is also good with his positioning and is an accomplished finisher in front of goal. There is no doubt that he could be a shrewd signing for United if they can pull off such a move next month.
The Norwegian will add a bit more pace to the United attack which is already brimming with talents such as Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. Solskjær could be the ideal man to get the best out of King’s abilities. However, unbiasedly, the Norwegian forward is better off staying at the Vitality Stadium as he is guaranteed regular first-team opportunities under Eddie Howe.
Hence, it would be a shrewd move for the Reds of Manchester to opt for the Bournemouth prospect, but with so many options already at Solskjær’s disposal, it is highly unlikely that King will get regular game time at Old Trafford this season.
